From Chizhou​, China, SAF Scholar Shan Jiang shares insights into adapting to student life at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, USA.

Shan Jiang (second from right) at Johns Hopkins University

Life in America is enjoyable, but tough, especially at a prestigious university, where students all around me are exceedingly more diligent than I had expected. The foreign culture which lies in the daily routine includes divergent meal tastes, eating habits and even personal health care routines. Traditional Chinese tend to eat more soup to ward against colds, but peers in America usually use hand sanitizer instead. In class, things are quite different, endless discussions and exciting debates always open my mind. After class, my roommates also share different cookies and posters and other fun American things with me, which I enjoy a lot. In the meantime, the midterm exam around the corner is also stressful for a newcomer, like me, to the United States. Prejudgments about American student life aren't that useful for helping you adapt to the totally unfamiliar environment. So, cast aside your assumptions and enjoy the brand new and wonderful experience. Why not hang out and give it a try?

Shan JiangHost: Johns Hopkins UniversityHome: Central University of Finance and Economics I 中央财经大学Undergraduate in Sociology I 社会学本科生Department of Sociology School of Social Development I 社会发展学院